Titan is Dynafit’s latest downhill oriented overlap boot (see our preview here on Wildsnow.) Titan is designed to be only slightly heavier then but noticeably stiffer then the ZZeus boot, which I had previously reviewed with a favorable opinion. When Dynafit’s Canadian reps made a pair of Titans available for testing I took the opportunity, managing to get four days of on-snow evaluation in a variety of conditions.

As background, I weigh 160 lbs and ski mainly in the Coast and Selkirk Mountains of British Columbia. My skiing is usually in high moisture-content snow. Accordingly, my preference is for bigger skis and relatively stiff boots. I have used a variety of boots including the Garmont Mega Ride, Scarpa Spirit 3 and 4, Scarpa Skookum, Dynafit ZZero4-C and ZZeus. My current boot of choice are modified Garmont Mega Rides (Scarpa Tongue, Intuition Alpine liner and booster strap) and stock Scarpa Spirit 3s.

Me on the Titans -- they're terrific!

Weight

I weighed Titan on a kitchen scale. A single Titan in size 27.5 weighs in at 2,000g per boot (shells weigh 1600g and the TFX thermomoldable liner is 400g). To compare, my own Garmont Mega Rides weigh 1640g per boot; a stock Dynafit ZZeus boot is 1950g, and a stock Black Diamond Factor boot is 2300g. All these boots are weighed in a size 27 or 27.5.

As a side note, replacing the Dynafit TFX liner with an Intuition Alpine Powerwrap liner (220g) brings the weight of Titan down to 1820g, a considerable weight reduction. However, more later on the excellent TFX liner and why one might hesitate before replacing it.

Titan liner.

Titan. Note that only the toe buckle is reversed. Personal preference; some might want the 2nd buckle reversed also which can be accomplished by drilling out and re-riveting. This is especially true of smaller sizes in the Titan and ZZeus, with which some users may find the third buckle bumping into and damaging the second when the boots is used aggressively at the more extreme forward lean angle.

Construction and fit

The shells of the ZZeus and Titan are essentially the same in terms of molding, though the plastic might be thicker or thinner in certain areas. The Titan liner is also similar to the ZZeus liner and I’ve noted differences below. Accordingly, Lou’s previous comprehensive article about the construction of the Dynafit overlap boots remains definitive. Of note, Titan will ship and be delivered to consumers standard with alpine boot blocks (for use with downhill alpine bindings) and with AT blocks (which have tech fittings and a grippy rubber sole).

Differences between ZZeus and Titan are as follows:

* While both Titan and ZZeus are made of polyurethane (PU) plastic, some of the PU plastic used in Titan is stiffer, namely the overlapping plastic tongue and beefier and stiffer spoiler on the rear of the boot.
* Different stiffnesses of plastic are used on Titan’s shell to tune and optimize the boot for touring performance (e.g. the black plastic around the boot cuff is stiff when buckled but is designed to flex when the boot is loosely buckled in touring mode).
* Titan’s TFX liner is designed to be skied out of the box but is highly receptive to thermomolding (an air-blown cook is recommended). These liners are essentially the same liner as the ZZeus liners except for plastic reinforcements around the heel cuff for added stiffness.

In terms of fit, I have a traditional Asian foot; meaning my forefoot is wider then most and I don’t have any arch to speak of. I had a problem fitting last year’s ZZeus liners as my toes pinched and they only worked for me when they were thermomolded. Even so, I preferred my own Intuition liners and tested the ZZeus accordingly. It turns out that Dynafit shipped last year’s ZZeus liners with factory lasting that caused more then a few consumers trying the boot in-store (without the help of a boot fitter or knowing employee) to think ZZeus’s last was too narrow. Dynafit has responded by factory lasting the Titan TFX liners with more room. Unmolded, the boot felt quite good to my own foot shape. When the TFX liner was molded, Titan fit like a glove (WildSnow continues to recommend that virtually ALL thermo liners be custom molded at some point during or after purchase). My feet felt great and were blister and pain-free even after a 1,800m vertical and 18km long tour up peaks and over glaciers. What is more, the TFX liner looks and feels tough and durable which more then justifies its burly heft.

Titan also ships with a volumizer (a thin shaped material conforming to the bootboard made of hydrophobic fiber). Some consumers have found that the ribbed bootboard inside the boot shell imprints their liners. The fix is to use the volumizer between the bootboard and liner if you have enough space in your shell. The alternative for those with high-volume feet is to use the old duct-tape standby on the ribbed bootboard. While we are on the subject of duct-tape, exposed rivets are also visible on Titan (as they are in many AT boots). Duct tape or some other convenient adhesive material placed over the rivets will help preserve your liners from abrasive wear.

Titan - interior. Note the exposed interior rivets, hard limiter stops (which did not limit feel of the boot when skiing ) and the ribbed bootboard.

On Snow Performance – Downhill

Titan has two forward lean angles; 15 and 21 degrees (real world angle depends on binding ramp angle, of course, as well as boot fitting tweaks). I set Titan at the 21 degree angle for skiing. Titan’s PU plastic construction should mean that the boot gets stiffer as temperatures drop. Since I was using the boot in mild spring temperatures I did not notice a change in flex. Anecdotal comments from other PU plastic boot users indicates that stiffness increase in cold temperatures is noticeable.

Last year I said “ZZeus felt fantastic skiing”. Thinking about it more, I would refine my comment to say that ZZeus’s stiffness felt like an incremental improvement in skiing control. In contrast Titan made me go “oh wow…”. Inarticulate babbling aside, Titan was an exponential improvement in skiing performance. To put it in relative terms, Titan felt as stiff as my relatively soft alpine downhill boots (detuned older Atomic plug boots). To add to the mix, I also tried out a pair of Black Diamond Factors and found those boots as stiff as Titan. I also tried Titan with an Intuition Alpine Powerwrap (Intuition’s stiffest liner and this combination did not hurt Titan’s skiing prowess. I would rate Titan’s stiffness as comparable to the BD Factor and the Scarpa Skookum and noticeably stiffer then the ZZeus, Scarpa Spirit 4 or 3 or my modified Garmont Mega Rides.

Overlap ski boots are reputedly designed to deliver smooth application of power. My alpine boots still hold a slight edge in that regard. On the corn and groomers I skied, both Titan and Factor felt a tad harsh as speed went up and carving pressure increased to the point that I even backed off buckle tightness! It would have been interesting to compare Titans, Factors and my alpine boots on a carving ski to optimize skis to conditions but I didn’t have that opportunity.

I did manage to try Titan on a Movement Logic ski in dust-on-groomers conditions (Movement’s new lightweight touring ski – approximately 7lbs, 88 width, tight turning radius ). In those conditions, Titan overpowered the lightweight Logic ski but skied well when paired with the heavier Movement Goliath Sluffs. On my touring days where I encountered powder Titan was incredible, resulting in a telepathic marriage between what my feet/legs wanted to do and how my skis responded. Having said that I would expect nothing less from a relatively stiff touring boot.

Comparison of rear cuff heights (from L to R: Titan, ZZeus, Factor, Megaride, F1) The ruler is held level on the Factor's rear spoiler. The tallest boot is the BD Factor followed closely by the ZZeus and Titan.

Please bear in mind that height of interior footboard as well as thickness of the liner sole will influence real world cuff height.

Comparison of fronts of all boots show that they are all very comparable except for the wee little Scarpa F1.

On Snow Performance – Bootpacking and touring

I’ve mentioned that I was previously lukewarm on the touring performance of Dynafit’s overlap boots. I now will unashamedly swallow my words and attribute that (mistaken) impression to the psychological barrier of having boots that look like alpine boots, ski like alpine boots yet tour so well. I don’t have a particularly good explanation for why I’ve changed my tune other then perhaps I’ve gotten over my blinkers when looking at overlap – design touring boots. More, as previously mentioned, Titan’s plastic is somewhat tuned for touring and the TFX liner is exceptionally comfortable.

One clue for Titan’s touring performance and comfort may be seen in the picture below depicting a collection of overlap design four-buckle boots. In walk mode the Titan can lean back past upright. The Factor cannot lean back to upright and is restricted in walk mode by its shell. Radium (rear boot) can lean back completely upright. In practical terms, the difference between Titan’s ski mode and walk mode is remarkable. When buckles are loosened (in my opinion, proper methodology for testing touring performance), Titan’s walk mode permits a comfortable relaxed motion with relative ease in cuff movement permitting long skinning strides. Perhaps it is a combination of Titan’s tuned plastic shell and the relatively free-floating cuff that makes for such a positive impression of Titan’s tourability.

Miscellaneous Notes :

* Titan is squeaky. I am told that a bit of lube squirted into pivot points at the cuff solves this.
* The upper forefoot buckle of Titan is not flipped. In my opinion, outside handled buckles are disasters waiting only to be caught on inopportune rocks and thus broken! Having said that, there was no tendency for the buckles to flip open when walking in snow, perhaps due to the buckle’s camming spring tension.
* Titan’s hefty weight was not that apparent on my day-tours. Having said that, it is my experience that extra weight really begins to show its detriment on longer tours or perhaps when one is fatigued at altitude, and I did not have the opportunity to test in those circumstances.
* Some consumers have noted that, in small boot sizes, Dynafit boots have buckle placements that tend to abrade against each other (as mentioned in photo caption above). Dynafit has noted this issue and is said to be addressing it.

Titan in the front. Factor is in the middle. Radium is in the rear of the picture.

Summary

For aggressive skiers, Titan may be that holy grail of skiing performance that does not compromise tourability. Those with lightweight physiques such as myself might even be able to use Titan as a dedicated inbounds boot for it is indeed that beefy. Not everyone might appreciate the in-your-face graphics and stark whiteness of these boots – which are easy to get dirty. Titan may also be overkill for light or finesse skiers on light soft skis — so there is still more then enough space in the market for light, soft boots. But for me, paired with Black Diamond Verdicts, Titan was indeed the perfect shoe.

It’s been interesting to watch the stiff AT boot category evolve. Early attempts showed that stiff boots could be designed to ski like bricks and reduce touring to a shuffling exercise. Presently, boots such as Titan show they can make backcountry skiing footwear that does it all. Aiding in this evolution, North American consumers have expanded their perception as to what weight is acceptable for touring boots. Thus, manufacturers now have leeway to design boots that both ski and tour well. In my opinion, Dynafit Titan is, for now, king of this category.

Titan will be shipped in a size range of 25.0 – 30.0 in half sizes. Dynafit will also be shipping the Gaia (woman’s specific – ZZeus) in sizes of 23.0 in 27.0 in a silver color. All Dynafit’s overlap boot offerings will be shipped standard with Alpine blocks and AT blocks. The anticipated MSRP of Titan is USD $759 (C$849).

(Guest blogger Lee Lau is an avid skier and outdoorsman embarking on many adventures with his loving, and sometimes concerned wife, Sharon. He has over fifteen years of experience backcountry skiing and dabbles in mountaineering. In the “off-season” he is occasionally found working in his day job as an intellectual property lawyer when he is not mountain biking. As a resident of Vancouver, British Columbia, Lee’s playground extends mainly to Western Canada, including South West B.C. and the Selkirks. Lee blogs here.)

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Comments

Lee – great review. The pictures of rear and front cuff height are a good bonus.

Justin Wilcox
April 28th, 2009 1:00 pm

so how much does the shell only (no liner) weigh in comparison to the Zzeus. You have your number for the Titan listed, and Lou has a number for the Zzeus, but Im sure they were on separate scales… I’ve been skiing in Factors this year, which ski great, but the lack of any rearward motion for touring is fairly annoying and I think it actually makes me use up more energy than I should while skinning. Titan does look interesting, as does the Dalbello Virus….

Lee Lau
April 28th, 2009 1:41 pm

Justin,

In the article I said Titan weighs 1600g weighed on my scale. Lou’s scale has the ZZeus at 1618g. I weighed a sz 27.5 shell. Lou weighed a sz 27 shell. Does that answer your question?

Other notes:

– There is cant cuff adjustment on Titan. Sorry I forgot to mention that.

– The entire PU plastic part (white color) of Titan is stiffer then ZZeus’s plastic. Therefore the entire Titan PU shell is stiffer and not just in key places

Sean
April 28th, 2009 2:24 pm

Great as usual Lee. Thanks very much, this boot is on the short list for me next season.

curious
April 28th, 2009 2:46 pm

Lee- curious if you could elaborate on your Mega Ride setup/mods … I have a pair myself, and am looking to get some more performance out of them – specifically when I lean forward, it feels like I am going to break my shin because the tongue is too short? (best way I can describe it )

Lee had something in there about the cuff cant but it made a sentence awkward so it got edited out, sorry about that.. yeah, the boots have a cuff cant…

Lee Lau
April 28th, 2009 3:58 pm

curious. These are fairly common mods to a boot that’s served me well.

1. Replaced the terrible Garmont stock liners with an Intuition Alpine liner (I got an Alpine liner. The Alpine Powerwrap is stiffer if you want that. More comfortable and warmer and the boot fits better.

2. Replaced stock soft tongue (my boot was 1st generation and the newer Mega Ride tongues are siffer) with black tongue you can buy from Scarpa. This pops right into place without tools.

3. Replaced velcro straps with Booster straps. To be honest I can’t tell the difference. I just did that because I had booster straps lying around.

thanks very much for the very nice review, it makes us of the Dynafit boots development team very happy 😉

All the analysis you did is very accurate and precise, you also noticed the buckle contact on small sizes, it’s a little bit there on size 26,5 – 25,5 and it’s quite normal for all alpine boots kind, and it doesn’t make any problem in term of downhill performances.
Anyway we are modifing a little the positioning of the buckles on these two sizes to completely avoid the problem. It will cost a hell in mould modifications but to make our customers 100% happy is a priority. All Titans/Gaia will have this small issue solved.

About buckle positioning we decided to have the middle buckle not inverted for a matter of performances. On this kind of construction having an inverted buckle on the instep so the with the “main buckle body” right on the instep will work less better (less pull) and will transmit more pressure (pain) on your foot.
This is why all alpine boots buckles are outside handled. On traditional ski touring boots like ZZEro or MEga Ride it’s ok to have both flipped because the tongue protect your instep and also because their buckles close with a little less power compared to the Titan/ZZeus kind.
I would not really suggest to flip the buckle, might make unhappy skier, decreasing the closure performance and adding pain…
The fact that buckles opens on snow is more or less impossible as the buckle is really close to the shell shape… And get hitted and brocken by a rock is really really hard to happen… and if happen replace a broken buckle is quite easy and cheap… but as I said it’s really really hard to happen especially in north america where you lucky guys have much more poweder than rocks in the mountains!!! 😉

Federico

Mark
April 29th, 2009 3:59 am

Hi Lee,

Great article – I stumbled across your own blog a view years ago while living in Nelson B.C. (Now back home, New Zealand).

Always enjoy viewing your latest tour in and around B.C with Sharon and Co. – reminds me of all the great Kootenay slack country powder I enjoyed! Keep up the good work.

Um, I keep forgetting to link to Lee’s blog in his guest blogger bio. I’ll fix.

Lee Lau
April 29th, 2009 10:15 am

@ Federico – thanks for remembering that some of us who tour with heavy boots actually like having a meaningful walk mode and that sometimes it is about the up! Thanks also for clarifying the boot buckle – I never thought about that for the overlap boots. What I also really appreciate is that the Titan (and ZZeus) buckles have a slight camming/spring action so they’re easy to engage and also they’re pretty resistant to flipping open when you’re snow-walking.

@Mark – thx! It’s a fun hobby – I seem to keep getting sucked up to the N Selkirks and haven’t been to the S and Central Koots in a while.

Kinda off subject, but since you mentioned it, now seems like a good time to ask.

I have an old pair of megarides, I recently drilled the holes in the back so that they could fit on my minimal adjustment tlt classics. I have since gotten a pair of comforts, so now i wish i didn’t drill the holes. I am going to fill the holes with some kind of epoxy and glue, and reshape them accordingly. Is there any particular epoxy/filler that you have worked with before on ski boot plastic? I am thinking expoxy puddy. Thanks

Lee Lau
April 29th, 2009 3:02 pm

Geez Dan. Are these the holes where the Dynafit heel pins go? I haven’t worked with filler for ski boots before. Anyone else? I would think JB weld would work as well as anything but it depends on how confident you feel about the boot I guess

Mark W.
April 29th, 2009 10:40 pm

Saw the Titans earlier this season but couldn’t ski ’em. For days of mostly downhill cranking, these could be the ticket. I ski light, very tourable Garmont Megalites virtually all the time, but have skied several stiff boots this season and had my eyes opened once again to the reality that beef sometimes is indeed just what the doctor ordered.

Chris
May 1st, 2009 1:43 pm

Hi,

I just made a rather impulsive purchase of some Garmont megarides, which were available for cheap–350–on tramdock.com. I’m a Salt Lake City resident, so returning them in the event they’re not ideal/i go broke wont be an issue.

I bought the boots because im going on what will hopefully be a big trip to the eastern Sierra next week, and because I hope to be touring in dynafit bindings from now on. I’ve been using the biggest tele boots available in the BC for years, and just this season I began using the biggest alpine boots available at the resort, after growing tired of tele gear breakage. I know the megarides have been popular boots for a while, but I also know AT boots have been changing a lot in the past few seasons.

My question is: will I find Megarides too soft? I’m inclined to think that, coming from telemarking, I’d be able to make the megarides work just fine. I have booster straps I can use. But, will I try on a pair of those Titans in the fall and kick myself?

Thanks for the feedback,

Chris

Lee Lau
May 3rd, 2009 12:40 am

Well Chris, since I don’t know how you ski, how much you weigh or the conditions in which you ski I couldn’t really guess. There’s only one way to find out I suppose and that’s for you to ski them!

Scott
May 4th, 2009 2:37 pm

@Chris,

Spend your time worrying about the quality of your turns. If you can’t rock in the megaride, its not like you’ll rock in the Titan.

Euro Rob
May 5th, 2009 6:42 am

I’m surprised there is so much hype around the Titan, especially in the states. I only touched it in the shop, but I’m skiing on the Zzeus and just recently found out that when jumping down a steep Couloir it helps to switch to walk mode to leverage the ankles’ power. Even then it’s still stiffer than my Scarpa Laser.

Really seems to me that Titan is not for everyone, but then again my biggest stick is the 175 Kilowatt, which works very well with the Zzeus.

A boot can be too stiff and drive you instead of you driving it. Each person’s style and gear change the equation. In my opinion a boot stiffer than a conventional AT boot is only going to make a noticeable improvement in your skiing if you’re on large skis doing higher speeds. Also, some folks simply like the feel of a stiffer shoe even though they ski just fine on softer boots. For all the above reasons, it’s great we now have boots such as Titan. But I still prefer the softer variety. Even the Radium is more than I usually want or need, but my son Louie is using the Radiums and they’re perfect for him, while his Spirit 3s were too soft.

Lee Lau
May 5th, 2009 4:23 pm

Rob,

I ski in BC powder. That’s pretty heavy stuff. If you ski in Europe you probably don’t have to deal with the amount of snow I deal with. Coastal BC snow tend to be stable enough that I can often get onto steep couloirs and faces in mid-winter conditions. I ski with enough Europeans that I know their conditions are very very different then ours. Might that be why there’s so much buzz about stiff boots in this part of the world?

I’m also going to respectfully disagree with Lou and say that, in my experience, a stiffer boot is nice to have not only on large skis at higher speeds but when in heavy deep snow in steep situations. Conversely when I am in champagne powder (eg Rogers Pass blower light 3 to 5% water content snow) I could be on slippers and be just fine.

Seriously, I guess I’ll have to cave and really get out for multiple days in something stiff. Have to admit I did like the Radiums, but the ZZeus and Titan both feel too stiff when I’m in the backcountry, though I’m sure I’d love them for inbounds and sidecountry… a friend just got some ZZeus for exactly that purpose and loves them. A lot of this has to do with how they are fitted.

BTW, Ted and I skied a lot of breakable crust during this last trip in EU, and I never felt like I needed more boot, though there were times I would have preferred having a wider and slightly longer ski as I’ve really gotten into trying to carve or semi-carve the breakable, at least when it’s not too steep…

Scott
May 5th, 2009 4:49 pm

Lee,

I don’t think the Euros are on blower pow either.I’d guess that it is mostly about different styles and attitudes.

Kinda like how you won’t catch me wearing day-glo spandex hot pants rock climbing in Yosemite like the Italians, even though they probably work just fine.

Indeed, blower pow is more something you get in Wyoming and Colorado, not EU, even though when they do get it they publish the photos forever to keep the myth alive. Sort of like the northeastern US (grin).

Lee Lau
May 5th, 2009 6:18 pm

yah – glad you guys took it the right way. That’s not to say that coastal snow is always stable but I can ski 45 – 50 degree slopes in mid-winter with waist deep snow and have some confidence that I’ll get sluff but not slabs. Usually that kind of snow is 8 – 10% water content. I believe you Colorado’ans would call that “elephant snot” or some other unkind word.

Like I said Lou, you’ll just have to tear yourself away from those shindigs gallivanting with the rich and famous in Europe; sampling sacchatorte and Chablis and roll in the elephant snot with the masses in Coastal British Columbia.

Add note – I might have mentioned more then a few times that I’m not a particularly finesse skier. Finesse skiers can get away with light boots. I know guys on F1s driving big skis even in Coastal Cement. Call it a crutch if you will. I do try my best to disclose my biases in the reviews and hope they are useful even with all the caveats.

Euro Rob
May 6th, 2009 1:10 am

Lee,

it was not not my intention to question the accuracy of your review, sorry if it came out like that — the insights on snow quality make things much clearer.

The pow was pretty heavy. I was on lighter skis then when I tested the Titans (Salomon Guns as opposed to BD Verdicts). Like I said in my review I actually felt like the Titan was almost too much boot for me on the Verdicts in some situations. I wonder when too much boot is just … well, too much.

Anyway this is just more pointless meandering. Both the Titan and ZZeus’s are fun boots. The Titan is indeed stiffer but the question is whether You, as the skier, need that extra stiffness.

Lou,
As someone diving headfirst into the sport of ski mountaineering, I’m trying to wrap my head around what sort of boot should be on my foot. I want to be able to be confident in my boots and their power on the way down, but I also don’t want excessive weight, difficult strides, or trouble with crampons etc. I’m leaning towards a dynafit boot to match their superior bindings, but I’m not sure which one is up my alley. Any thoughts?
Patrick

Sure Patrick, my first thought is that when I read your blog, I get the impression you are taking up telemarking, or was that a passing fancy (grin)?

Also, it looks like you do a fair amount of ski mountaineering already. What boot have you been using? And what’s your style?

Patrick
May 11th, 2009 11:31 am

Lou,
No need to be cheeky (grins back). I got bored of skiing alpine in-bounds, so for that days when the snowpack looks bad, I’ll be on my sweet hippie stinx. For the real skiing though, like I said, I’m diving in head first and hevn’t done too much before ths season. I’ve been using a borrowed pair of Scarpa Denali TTs that kill my feet, and don’t seem to have much of a difference between walk/ski modes.
I prefer to go fast and light when the lines will allow it, but I also ski aggressively, so I have to balance weight with solidity.
P

I asked the Great Louienie, he says first empty your mind of all thoughts about skiing, as thinking about skiing without skiing causes suffering.

With your purified being, demo a pair of Garmont Radiums and a pair of Dynafit ZZeus.

Sounds good to me.

Patrick
May 12th, 2009 11:13 am

Lou,
Most sagacious words.
P

Kenny
June 3rd, 2009 12:10 pm

Lou,

I am 6’6″ 220lbs and looking to buy some AT boots that are geared primarily to Alpine with a small portion of use touring. However, I wear a size 15 shoe and ski in alpine Mondo size 31-31.5 boots depending on boot manufacturer and have no arch to speak of. Any reccomendations? Most manuf. do not make AT boots that size.

Tony
August 20th, 2009 9:22 pm

Do the Titans have the same last as the Zzeus? I was a 26.0 when I was boot fitted in the Zzeus, and am wondering if I will be the same in a Titan?

Just got a pair of dynfit Gaia for my wife. She has small feet and has always had a hard time getting boots small enough. For inbounds she has used lange boots. Years ago she had size 23 dynafits that fit great, but were too soft to ski. Now, with the Gaia, looks to be a one boot quiver for inbounds and touring. Finally a boot that fits good out of the box. Of course still need to get them cooked. Anyone know if you can use the convection oven style heaters, or if they must be fitted with the air blower units. My local ski shops seem to prefer the ovens.

trey spencer
November 26th, 2009 9:35 pm

I’m an alpine race coach, currently in Atomic RT Ti 130s, new from original Atomic Race Tech S(oft) that I ran for 5 years. Would like to go to an AT boot for long hours standing on the hill, but want good fit and binding compatibility. I’m 6’0″, 155#. Which Dynafit would go best, Titan or Zeus? Thanks.

Do you know if the Titan 1/2 sizes are different liners or just different footbeds?

Lee Lau
November 28th, 2009 9:58 pm

caleb – different liners

Mark
November 29th, 2009 12:52 am

Kevin, Gaia liners may be heated in convection-style ovens, but stack heaters eliminate any concerns of scorching the outside of the liners.

angus maxwell
December 3rd, 2009 1:57 am

Lee, great info!
I live in your general neighborhood (squamish) and am wondering if you can tell my of any retailers who will carry the titan, and who also have boot fitters on staff?
keep up the good work,
cheers
angus

trollanski
December 7th, 2009 12:00 am

Hi folks. Was looking for comparisons btwn the Titans and Factors on skiing performance. Haven’t really found much. Thanks for your inputs on both boots, but I believe the Factors will be my next boots. Got both on my feet while on a trip to the lower 48, and the BD’s felt more like a regular ski boot. The Dynafits still flexed like a light-touring boot to me. Yes, I could crank them down to stiffen them up, but for our crazy terrain in Southeast AK, more is better.

Lee Lau
December 7th, 2009 12:26 am

I think you’re asking for comparisons?

The Titans are minisculely laterally stiffer. They are both pretty comparable stiffness in forward flex. I know you didn’t ask this but the Titan tours much better then the Factor – but the Factor tours so poorly that isn’t saying that much. Of course this is just my opinion. Would be open to hearing from others of course

Max
December 16th, 2009 6:00 pm

This is an amazing review. I bought a pair of Zzeus last year and tried them over two weeks in Tarentaise (around Val d’Isère). I used to have Scarpa Lazer boots. They are totally different. They hold your foot and ankle way better and are proper ski boots, not like the Scarpa which I hated since day 1. I love the Zzeus, they ride like my Salomon (flex 110 or 120) downhill and are super comfy uphill. I’m not sure they had the Titans last year, but I definitely would have prefered even stiffer boots…
But again as you say, it depends on the snow and more importantly the rider…
Anyway, the Zzeus are fantastic, so I guess the Titans can only be as good or even better.

Max

Lee Lau
December 16th, 2009 10:33 pm

Thanks Max!

JMac
February 28th, 2010 6:44 am

Hey gang — I’m having an issue with the AT sole and the Barons. The top of the heel piece is getting mangled by the binding – almost like the heel height is too high. The sole height is adjusted correctly at the forefoot. Did you have to do anything special to get them to fit in your Barons?

Thanks!

Sean
March 21st, 2010 6:45 pm

Lee,

I thought your review was insightful, succinct, and thorough. I particularly appreciated your efforts in laying foundation for comparisons. Not enough reviewers provide sufficient background info on physiology/equipment/ski conditions/etc. to make the review the most useful. Nice work.

To you and to other readers, how does the Dalbello Virus Tour compare with the Dynafit Titan (for somebody with a more downhill-oriented perspective)?

I know that I don’t fit Dalbello Kryptons well at all. Anyone know if the Virus (Virii?) & Kryptons are the same last? I hadn’t actually thought about trying out the Virus boots as I’m slated to try a couple of other touring boots this year and one can test only so much before it starts impacting actual skiing

PJ
March 25th, 2010 7:55 pm

Does anyone know if there are changes in store for the Titan or ZZeus for Fall/Winter 2010-2011?

Caleb
April 16th, 2010 11:49 am

Thanks for the review of the Titans, the have replaced my Dalbello Krypton pros as my one-boot to rule them all. I have a very low volume foot (instep and heel) and the Titans are the only boots that seem to fit close out of the box. I likie the extra room in the toe box too. I’ve only done a couple of short tours in them and the walk mode is very nice…, in THEORY:

When in walk mode there’s a significant ‘catch’ when flexing back and forth. It’s consistent on only one boot, but has happened on both. Anyone else had this problem. Any suggestions? I’ve been shying away from using walk mode because I don’t want to break them before the end of the season!

PJ – no substantial changes I was told earlier this month but I’ll check again.

Caleb – I haven’t heard of that as an issue. Can you check the boot to see if any of the plastic PU where the top two buckles are attached are hitting the body of the boot? I’ve seen that happen where you wear the top two buckles really loose in big boots and don’t overlap the boot together again correctly – but this only happens in flat approaches where you make long strides

…don’t know why I keep reading up on boots even if I’m not in the market. Curiousity I suppose, plus this is an awesome website and goldmine for information. (Thanks Lou). I can’t believe a Dynafit rep’ also posted; what a community. Thanks Lee, for providing a great review. Love your website too.

Dalton
– currently putting in some quality weekend office time to ski Sunday and take a weekday off, to ski more of course

Caleb
November 7th, 2010 1:51 pm

@Lee Lau: I ended up calling Dynafit USA and they sent me a new ski/walk mech for one of the boots…, haven’t got to test it yet (hopefully soon).

Has anyone figured out a way to heat the liners w/o the ‘blower’ type heater? Nobody in town here has one…

Lee Drake
December 27th, 2010 1:42 pm

hey lee great review, i have been skiing the garmont g-ride with intuntion liners and a powerstrap , and i am looking at moving on to this dynfit boot until i read about the srarpa tongue modification on the garmont, i want that i do i do that, what is the deal with that, and after all that testing, what are you going to tour in this year.
thanks lee

It’s all about fit and I’ve been a Garmont Megaride foot forever till I tried on a Dynafit ZZeus. So I’m now on a Garmont Megaride and the ZZeus. I’ve left the Megaride pretty soft (got an Intuition Protour liner in that) and the ZZeus stiff (got an Intuition Alpine Powerwrap in that).

The stiff Scarpa tongue significantly stiffens the Megaride and the G-ride. Try it out – I think they’re 30 to 40 from Scarpa retailers

Dylan
December 27th, 2010 3:50 pm

Lou,

A group of us will be venturing to the Skinner hut for the first time in February, via glacier creek. If ice conditions and visibility are good wouldn’t it be quicker to skin across Turquoise lake than to take the road? I would check with CDOW for ice conditions before heading out…

Dylan, no. It’s really hard to predict or know what’s out on the lake. Frequently the ice gets water on the surface. A snowmobile works great for crossing the lake when it’s frozen enough… stay on the land with skis.

canwilf
January 18th, 2011 12:14 pm

Where can I get replacement sole plates in Vancouver?
Anyone know?

Mike
January 18th, 2011 11:46 pm

Does anybody know if you can get the Titan’s extended spoiler separately, to beef up a ZZeus a little bit?

Jaker
January 27th, 2011 12:58 pm

Anyone skied both the BD Quadrants and the Titans? I’m a 150lbs – 165 geared up. I have the BD Quadrants and after Intuition Luxury liners and some footbeds the fit is acceptable, but it took that investment to get them there. Stock BD liner was great, but I was getting zero compression from the arch buckle and my forefoot was just swimming while trying to ski them. I don’t have a narrow foot either. BD probably overdid it on the last and overall forefoot volume. I find them very smooth for touring, but honestly they feel stiffer, or at least less progressive flex than my Technica Diablos which are supposedly a 130 flex. The BD Quadrant supposedly 120 Flex. Seems like the only forward flex I am getting out of the Quadrant is compressing the plastic of the lowers. They are definitely plenty of boot to drive my Zealots.

Great Review! I am putting my trust in this as I embark on a hut trip in the am with the Titans. Jackal hut is the place, early am. We have had one of the best powder years in recent memory here in Breckenridge. 108 base with 3-4 powder on top. (inbounds) I am sure the trip tommorrow will be epic, and am sure the Titans will hold up to the test.

I will let you know in a few days.

Collin
March 31st, 2011 10:30 pm

I’m trying to decide between the TLT 5s and the Titans. I currently ski some Rossi S7 with Marker Dukes. My boot is a Dynafit Zzero3. I feel like these boots don’t do the burly setup a justice. Even on my light setups (Manaslus with TLT vert bindings) my Zzero 3s feel squirly on the descent. Conversely, my buddy has a pair of Titans and he rips full speed on the downhill. He even skis his Titans in-bounds. I’m willing to sacrifice weight to enjoy my descent more. However, if I can get the best of both worlds with the TLT 5s I would go that route. What’s the difference in stiffness between the two? Your thoughts?

Second – which TLT5? Performance or Mountain. Actually it doesn’t matter. The Titan is really really stiff. Neither version of the TLT5 is close to the same league. They’re totally different boots. The TLT5 is a great alpine touring boot – perhaps one of the best uphill, skinning touring boots on the market you can buy now and an OK descender. The Titan is also a great alpine touring boot – perhaps one of the best downhill touring boots. Its an OK uphill touring boot.

The S7s are a pretty burly ski so I would suspect it needs a burly boot.

If you ski the zzero 3, tlt5 p would probably be stiff enough for you. After having skied them on g3 Manhattan, and one of next years skis, I was positvely blown away – worked above all expectations. The only problem I can see, is that the forward stiffness isn’t quite there, but that is more a problem with straight and stiff skis…but the side-to-side is the most important. Anyway, the S7 would not be choice on ice…so I still think the tlt5p is stiff enough. Haven’t tried the regular tlt5s.

BUT, you cannot use the tlt5p on dukes…so it isn’t an option for you. You have to choose the titans, or change bindings.

Collin
April 1st, 2011 7:57 am

Guys, thanks for the FAST response, this makes the choice easy.

BTW Lee, I’m 5′ 10″ 170 lbs. But I don’t think it even matters. If they’re not even in the same league as far as stiffness goes, then I’m going to go with the Titans. thanks guys!

Matt
June 2nd, 2011 5:57 pm

I just wanted to say thanks for all the amazing info on your website.
I have read all of your dynafit sizing articles and they are indeed excellent, but being stuck in oz with high prices and no / few AT gear shops makes it almost impossible to try on gear.

I am looking to go the way of Titan or zzeus – from the charts on your site i would probably fit somewhere between a 26.5 and 27.0.
I wear 26.5 dalbello DH boots and have fitted the garmont endorphin in 26.5. As you stated in one of your reviews ” I have a traditional asian foot” low arch, widish forefoot, narrowish heel!

Would you be willing to say which way i should go (of course i cannot hold you in any way responsible if they don’t fit!)

That’s a tough one Matt. I never fit Flexons which IIRC are close to fit of Dalbello Kryptons. I have no idea if Dalbello DH boots are Kryptons or fit close to Kryptons. All I can say is that AT boots tend to fit less snug than DH boots because they’re meant for walking so sacrifice some control. Plus the stock Dynafit TFX liner has pretty good room to expand so that might help – I would suspect the half size would be ok-

Matt, as Lee says, I’d get the 26.5 for starters. Evaluate and immediately return if they don’t look good. If you’re in a hurry, order both sizes and return one unused. Let us know how it goes. Lou

Matt
June 2nd, 2011 7:45 pm

Thanks for the quick response guys. I agree the 26.5 is the safest bet for now and it seems from your knowledge there are no real anomalies with the dynafit sizing.
I will report back after some testing (NZ in late July). Can’t wait for the white stuff again.

If there is anything specific to Dynafit lasting that I’ve figured out, is that with my foot I tend to downsize the shell if I can to get a narrower ankle area and less volume in the cuff for my chicken bones.

Joshua
October 4th, 2011 8:16 pm

Lou or Lee, I currently ski a 27.5 Spirit 4 and am wanting to step up to the Titan. Unfortunately, no one caries the Titan where I live. Do you know if the sizing would be about the same?

BD Factor 130s in 27.5 and Megarides in 27.5 though both are a fairly snug fit.

Trying to gauge what I’d wear in the titans or titan ultralights(I wish Dynafit made a chart available like Garmont/Scarpa/BD do). I’ve looked at the chart at wildsnow, size 10 isn’t exactly shown and it’s circa 2009.

Daniel – I’m a street shoe sz 10 or Euro 43/44. I can fit either a Titan 27.0 or 27.5 (shell sizes are the same, liner sizes are different

JakeP
December 12th, 2011 10:04 am

Just thought I would throw in my $0.02 on these boots. I just got my pair of Titans last week. I have been a resort/sidecountry skier for many years, but last year I made the jump to full BC/AT setup. I opted for the BD Quadrant which I will say was a decent boot once I got it to fit, but I definitely didn’t ever fall in love with how it skied. Touring, hiking, climbing in it was great, but skiing just always left a lot to be desired. So I sold it and opted to try something slightly heavier as I now have a better definition of what it is I want to do in the BC. That is, I want to ski big lines how I would in my Alpine boots. I tried on Titans, Factors, Tecnica Cochise (still interested in these, but they sold out, plus there is that Cochise light and pro coming out which is interesting), Mobe. Anyway, the titan was the best show room fit and touring prowess seems superior to the Factor in that the cuff can move back past upright quite a ways.

Anyway, I was tempted by the Titan UL, but for the extra money and being unable to get a real report of as to the compromise in stiffness I went with the “heavy” version.

Out of the box these fit my foot exponentially better than the 26.5 Quadrant (310mm BSL) did. I opted for the 27.0 (312mm BSL), liner seems great. I do prefer a narrower 98mm lasted boot, but that’s just my alpine background talking. I wear a size 10 street shoe and I have a fairly wide forefoot, normal arch, and narrow ankle. Like I said out of the box the boot feels pretty good. I did add the extra boot board that was supplied by Dynafit and that helped fill some of extra volume so that the arch buckle actually feels like its doing something.

Stiffness is definitely increased over a BD Quadrant and the lower shell doesn’t deform as much which was a real problem for me with the Quadrant. With the quadrant I would tighten down the buckles, but when I’d put the forward pressure on the lower shell would compress and widen and my foot would swim… Super annoying. I was able to fix this by using intuition luxury liners, boot board, and custom insole. Yeah $200 later the boot was skiable.

I feel light years ahead w/ the Titan and I haven’t even skied it yet…

my only concern so far is that I’m not sure how durable the TFX liner is. Not to worried as I still have my Intuitions…

I just picked up a pair of Titan UL’s and I have to say, so far, I am in love. I was on Scarpa Spirit 4’s before in 27.5 and the same size fits me perfectly in the Titan UL. My first impression was, “Wow, these are really light.” They’re lighter than my spirit 4’s for sure and they are very stiff compared to them. The thing that I really like though is that I do not feel like I am hitting a brick wall when I put forward pressure on them. They have a really nice progressive flex. I had heard that the regular Titan’s felt like that and I never used the black tongues on my Spirit 4’s because that’s how it always felt when I skied them, so I’m glad that the Titan UL’s have that nice progressive flex. The Titan UL’s are also quite stiff laterally and transmit power very easily to the skis.

I have narrow feet with a very high arch. I added the footbed that was included with the boots, but I haven’t molded the boots, and I don’t think that I will, because they seem to fit me well. I’ll just need to throw in a custom footbed to give me the right under-arch support. Wiggle room in the toes is just how I like it.

I have yet to get out and tour on these or use them on wider skis. I’ve just had them at the hill on firm, icy groomers, frozen crud, and corn and so far I am very happy. Looks like some snow in the PNW this week so looking to take them out for a tour on my Drifters to see how they drive my 192 skis.

In tour mode at home they feel like they have better range of motion than my Spirit 4’s. All-in-all, I’m excited about these shoes. Oh and on top of that, they are ridiculously sexy in person.

Dragos Toma
March 5th, 2012 9:20 am

Any advice on sizing the Titan for someone wearing 43/44 Euro (I guess I actually wear 43.5 since most of the time 43 is too small and 44 too large) size street shoes?

I have to order them online since I live in Romania and I can’t find any decent AT boots to try on in shops; I know I’m looking for trouble buying boots online, but I just can’t find any other solution…

I’m currently skiing a pair of 28.5 Garmont G-Rides which are too large for me (first pair of AT boots, so I bought them much too large; I get a lot of heel lift and as a result I get blisters on my shins after climbing for more than 2 hours).

I have quite wide feet with narrow heels.

For reference, I tried on a pair of size 28 Dalbello Virus Tour ID in a shop, and they seemed OK at first regarding last/length, but when I tried flexing them forward I noticed quite some heel lift and I decided not to buy them. The small lean angle also felt weird and I din’t like the buckles since it didn’t seem like I could open/close them with gloves on.

I was thinking on going with a size 27.5 for the Titans, but I fear they will be too small. But if I get a size 28 I’m scared I still won’t get rid of the heel lift that messes up my shins on every tour.

Dragos – I’m a sz 43 shoe and am good in a size 27 Dynafit Titan Ultralight. But see my comment about my feet in the article.

Jake P
March 5th, 2012 10:21 pm

I generally wear a size 43.5/44 in all my cycling and hiking boots. My Titans are 27.0 and are just right. I did have to put medium volume intuition liners in them to help take up the volume in the foot area.

Daniel
March 5th, 2012 10:41 pm

@dragos

If it helps, I always wear a shoe size 10 and wear 27.5 in Titan Ultralights. I wear 27.5 in Garmon megarides and Radiums as well as black diamond factor 130s

Ultralights are somewhat narrow though I don’t know about the normal titans or if it’d be a problem for you

try haunting the tetongravity forums for more on what people are wearing compared to their shoe size in that boot perhaps

Dragos Toma
March 7th, 2012 7:54 am

just pulled the trigger on a pair of size 27.5 from Telemark-Pyrenees; think I got a prety good deal at 395E. I was too scared to order the 27, fearing they will be too small…
I’ll let you guys know how they fit when they get here.

It’s still going to be a blasphemy for what remains of the season, as I will (hopefully :D) be using them with Marker Barons.

Robert Lee
March 7th, 2012 9:21 am

Telemark – Pyrenees ,

top shop,

just bought my new avalanche beacons from them , really good service

Dragos Toma
March 7th, 2012 11:49 am

yep, have to agree 😀
I bought the above metioned Marker Barons at a very good price from them last summer; cheapest shipping only took 3 or 4 days to Romania.

btw, if anyone is shopping for boots here in Europe, Sport-Conrad has a really good offer on the Dynafit Zzeus for 300E and all sizes are still available.

had them shipped to iceland, again very good service can totally recommend both stores .

currently following some K2 sidestash on conrads site, would like to add some wider skis to my quiver

Felix
July 10th, 2012 7:36 pm

Hey, great review! I would just like to ask you what you think when comparing the regular Titan with the Titan Ultralight. I’m really struggling between these two…..For me, downhill performance comes first, then comes tourability. I would absolutely be willing to pay a little extra for the Titan UL for its weight (so price doesn’t play a role at this point), but ONLY if there is absolutely no compromise in downhill performance if going with the UL version. That’s because I’m also planning on using them as my dedicated on-piste alpine boots. I’m not only looking at the stiffness in downhill performance, but also at a smooth progressive flex. Which one would you recommend? Which boot – putting other criterias aside – would be better at downhill? But – putting in the other criterias (weight, walk mode, quality of liner) – which one would be the better allround boot?
Thanks so much!!!
Regards, Felix

If you fit it, go with the Vulcan instead unless you need replaceable soles. Stiffer, lighter, quality of downhill ski feel and quality of walk mode – it beats the pants off the Titan and Titan UL.

cdub
July 10th, 2012 11:41 pm

My main boot for the past couple of years is the Titan, I tried the UL and noticed a huge difference. They felt way softer, too soft. I was very surprised at the difference. Oh and I used the same zip fit liner in both sets of boots.

Felix
July 11th, 2012 12:17 pm

Hey Lee,
thanks for your fast reply! I’ve read about the Vulcan recently and it is indeed a sick, sick boot!! But is it true that only the Titans will fit into regular alpine ski bindings? For sure the Vulcan will perform better than the Titan and the Titan UL when going uphill, but as I’m planning to make these my one-for-all occasions boot, I also need them to fit on alpine ski bindings and rock really hard on-piste as well.

To be brutally honest I didn’t find much of a difference between Titan and Titan UL. Unlike cdub I found them to ski about the same

cdub
July 11th, 2012 1:11 pm

I should note that the day I tested the ULs was a deep, tracked up day in the Pacific Northwest. I use my Titans for all conditions all the time, the ULs couldn’t handle the chop. I bet they ski fine in fresh snow.

Felix
July 12th, 2012 11:39 am

@cdub

thanks for your experiences, however how would you compare the Titan with the Titan UL in regards to a nice progressive flex?

Ed
November 19th, 2017 10:39 am

Great review – I bought these boots in 2010 and love them. I’ve now worn through my TFX liners – does anyone have any advice on what liners would be best as replacements? I was thinking maybe the Beast CL but not sure if they’ll be compatible

Many thanks

Ed

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Welcome to Louis (Lou) Dawson's backcountry skiing information & opinion website. Lou's passion for the past 50 years has been alpinism, climbing, mountaineering and skiing -- along with all manner of outdoor recreation. He has authored numerous books and articles about ski touringand is well known as the first person to ski down all 54 of Colorado's 14,000-foot peaks, otherwise known as the Fourteeners! Books and free ski touring news and information here.

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